‘We fish hard’: How a husband-wife duo hauled in a near 100-pound fish in SC Wahoo series
The husband-wife fishing team of Morris and Tamesha Beck were a bit in awe, if not stunned, when they realized the size of the wahoo they had hooked up with on April 11, the duo’s final of three allotted fishing days in the 2020 South Carolina Wahoo Series.
The Becks, of John’s Island, were aboard their 37 Freeman, Exception, and trolling a ledge in 150-200 feet of water out of Stono Inlet when the huge wahoo hit an undisclosed bait or lure.
While the majority of offshore fishing boats have several crew members, the Becks are invariably a crew of two, and a monster wahoo can be hard to handle for even the biggest crew.
“We thought it was a wahoo when we hooked up,” said Morris Beck. “When it got about 60 yards behind the boat we saw color, how big it was and the stripes. We’re kind of new at wahoo fishing, and it was a handful. It was surprising to get one that big, they’re usually 40-50 pounds.”
With Tamesha Beck the designated angler, they knew this was no 50-pounder, and in a tournament with a field of 153 boats and big bucks at stake, the excitement, even tension, amped up as the fish approached gaff range.
“I walked the fish forward and when I got it next to the motors, he started wanting to take line,” recalled Tamesha Beck.
Moments later, Morris Beck was able to apply the gaff to what was now obviously a huge wahoo.
“I thought ‘Oh crap, he’s going over or the fish is coming in the boat,’ “ said Tamesha Beck.
Morris Beck, at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, won the tug of war, but it wasn’t easy.
“That’s a lot of weight to sling over the side of the boat,” said the 52-year-old Morris Beck. “She was on the rod walking forward, I gaffed it and drug it in. I’ve still got a little in the tank.”
Eventually, the wahoo weighed in at 98.3 pounds, the largest caught among the largest field in the history of the series. But then they had to play the waiting game.
“We still had two more weeks of people fishing,” said Morris Beck. “We were sweating it out.”
When the series concluded an 11-week run on April 25, the Becks had won the 9th annual series with a 147.8-pound aggregate also including 30.9 and 49.5-pound wahoo weighed on their first two fishing days.
“We just wanted to get out there and just enjoy the water,” said Tamesha Beck. “It’s nice to compete with all the great anglers in the tournament. We worked really hard to be competitive. We fish hard.”
The Becks know winning the series is no small feat, with offshore anglers from along the South Carolina coast from Little River to Beaufort competing in the annual spring event.
“I told her, ‘You don’t know what you just did, we’re fishing against the best people in the Lowcountry,’” said Morris Beck. “That’s all she talks about now. I guess she’ll be talking about it forever.”
The Becks won several categories including the $35,000 first-place prize for heaviest three-fish aggregate. They also won the Wahoo High Roller and Wahoo Big Fish categories, plus Tamesha Beck was named Lady Angler of the series. The duo compiled total winnings of $63,294.
One award has special meaning for Tamesha Beck.
“It’s important to me, being a lady angler and bringing the fish to the boat,” said Tamesha Beck. “I can hold my own on a rod and reel. I really take pride in that.”
The Becks claimed first place by more than 20 pounds, with Swedish Fish out of Charleston finishing second with a 126.6-pound aggregate including a 73.8-pounder.
Nonsense, captained by Owen Johnson and fishing out of Georgetown, finished third by the slimmest of margins, with a 126.5-pound aggregate. Nonsense’s largest wahoo was a 68.8-pounder. Game Hawg, captained by Jerry Fehlig of Conway, was fourth a 119.2-pound aggregate including a 72.2-pounder.
Salty Jenn II, captained by Alex Hrycak out of Murrells Inlet, finished sixth with a 110.6-pound aggregate including a pair of 50-pound plus fish.
Cannon Johnson was the top Youth Angler with a 68.8-pound wahoo and Derrick Blanton the top Senior Angler with a 46.7-pound wahoo.
Avetseata weighed in the heaviest dolphin, a huge 52.3-pounder, Queen V caught the heaviest Tuna, a 29-pounder and Mas Pescado landed the heaviest amberjack, a 53.9-pounder.
Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament
For much of its illustrious history, the Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament has been held on Memorial Day weekend, but in 2020 the coronavirus has intervened.
On Thursday, Georgetown Landing Marina, the site of the historic tournament, announced the dates for the 53rd annual event has been pushed back to Aug. 12-15. With the new date, the Georgetown tournament, the oldest billfish tournament in South Carolina, will conclude the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series.
The dates for the four Governor’s Cup tournaments are:
- Carolina Billfish Classic, June 17-20.
- Edisto Invitational Billfish Tournament, July 15-18.
- Bohicket Marina Invitational Billfish Tournament, July 29-Aug. 1.
- Georgetown Blue Marlin Tournament, Aug. 12-15.
This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 8:07 PM.
